Texas Grunge Rock Rebels

Eugene is about to swallow a whole lot of Austin, Tex., grunge-rock vigor; The Blind Pets are inspired by a DIY attitude and a complete lack of concern or sympathy for bullshit rock ’n’ roll.

“Rock and roll on a bigger level is taking a dump,” says guitarist and vocalist Joshua Logan, referencing prog rock bands like Muse as the enemy to true rock. “People think of Muse as rock and it’s just not.”

The three-man crew, composed of Logan, bassist Dustin Hannah and drummer Michael Anthony Gibson, has only performed as far north as San Francisco. Logan scoffs, “I mean we got high because it was legal there but in terms of latitude and longitude we’ve never been that far northwest.” More seriously, Logan continues, “Coming to a new city, I love meeting new people and seeing how their geographical location has been affecting them. It’s the reason we do what we do.”

As an unsigned band, The Blind Pets enjoy certain freedoms. They make the music they want and play the shows they want. But if the music speaks for itself, it proves that they have a do-it-yourself, work-hard mentality. “Everything we do is because of our hard-earned money,” Logan says. “We have day jobs.”

In the spirit of rebellious grunge rock, The Blind Pets don’t just play instruments, they shred on them in a very literal way. Their shows are loud and interactive and their forthcoming album, Heavy Petting, contains 15 tracks that define their aggressive, no-holds-barred style. Guitar chords are distorted but not overdone and Gibson’s drumming matches the band’s attitude. Don’t be mistaken though; it won’t be a night of head-banging metal. Rather it’ll be a night of whiskey and screaming blues-guitar riffs.

“If it wasn’t for Austin, I probably would have never learned all these blues scales,” Logan says. “It’s all the blues whether you want to fight it or not.”